This is a good one for middle grade horror fans. Just enough scary stuff to make your palms sweat and get your heart pumping. The setting is perfect: a scout troop on a multi-day hiking trip, and the girls aren’t expected back for at least another day….

Jenna, the main character, is a great example of facing your fears, and she goes back into the woods to help her missing friend. I won’t say she’s entirely smart about it (she is only 11, after all 😆), but she has good intentions and a LOT of courage. Me? I would probably never leave my house again if I were in Jenna’s slightly-too-small hiking boots.

This is author Ally Russell’s debut novel, and I look forward to reading what she comes up with next!

Thank you as always to NetGalley, Random House Children’s and Delacorte Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

There are two things Jenna loves more than anything else. Being outdoors and her best friend, Reese. In one fateful moment, she manages to lose both things simultaneously. To make matters worse, everyone from the police to the media to her mom and grandfather doesn't believe her version of events. Her friend was taken right in front of her by..... something. She doesn't know exactly what the creature was. One thing she knew for sure was that she would get her best friend back. Even if she has to do it all alone. When she finally ventures into the woods again in a new troop, everything she thought she knew and had planned is put to the test.

It Came from the Trees was suspenseful. Being told from a child's perspective in a Girl Scout troop lends the reader the feeling of brave optimism in the face of danger. The author does an excellent job of shedding light on the trials of being a young black girl and the pushback you often get for your appearance or race. The power and strength we find in sisterhood can help us achieve new heights and take down even the most formidable of enemies.

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC.

This middle grade book takes a camping trip and adds the eerieness of the woods and a cryptid. Jenna's character development is well executed. She learns to trust her own instincts and develops solid friendships while dealing with her (justified) fear.

I'm adding this own to our library when it's out!

Thank you to netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for allowing me access to this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I enjoyed this book so much. The ending was icing on the cake,

I am getting into MG and i find that it helps me give recommendations to my grandson who loves to read. This was a great read and i will be purchasing this for my grandson was fantastic.

The book is great for all middle grader readers. the main character i loved because it is a very strong willed girl. i loved that she does what she had to for people to believe her.

Highly recommend this book to all.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

It Came From the Trees was an absolute delight of a read. I rarely read MG, but I am so glad I had a chance to read this one (thank you Netgalley, the author, and the publisher).

I think this book is so perfect for a MG audience. The character ARC was so beautiful, the description of camping out in the woods and the eeriness of it all (let alone adding a cryptid into the equation), and the voice was perfect. I loved reading about such a strong young girl, the issues she has to deal with, and the absolute loveliness of friendship and the importance of being believed. Highly recommend this one for readers of MG.

This book was awesome! It was very interesting, I loved the idea. I really enjoyed the ending, too! It cleaned everything up nicely. While it wasn't the most important part of the story, I really loved watching the main character slowly warm up to her new troop and make new friends.

There are two types of horror/thriller books for me. The ones we read only once and the ones that although you already know what is going to happen you read again for the thrill of the journey and specific scenes (that is Jurassic Park for me I reread it a lot). This one is like that. I loved it. I can reread it and still feel the thrill, the panic, the fear of being hunted, surrounded because it is well written.

Jenna's best friend Reese follows Jenna to a summer camp but ends up being kidnapped by something that no one believes exists. Because no one believes in Jenna she decides to go back to the woods and take matters into her own hands by joining another camp. Whatever happens, Jenna won't let Reese down.

I couldn't put it down, read it in one sitting. Love a book with a theme going into the woods, or predator vs prey. This is my first contact with the author and now I am curious to read more.

Great Scout/camping tips. The news clips between chapters add to the tension. Some prejudice. Adults refusing to believe in children, support from family, new friendships, loyalty, courage, and respect for nature by acknowledging the dangers. Not letting fear control us or our lives.